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Adrian Gonzalez

08/18/2012

Lester was the main story today, winning his second consecutive game. The last, and only other time he's done that was back in May. He threw 7 strong innings, giving up only 5 hits and 1 run while striking out 4 batters. He wasn't overpowering, but he did pitch his ass off. The key to this Sox team right now is building some momentum and confidence for next year. If Lester can keep stringing some good starts together, that'll help. The B-Squad, Bailey and Breslow took care of the 8th. Aceves got the save.

The offense wasn't great -- Sox batters left 16 men on base. Surprise! -- but they did plenty to get the win. Gonzalez hit a two-run shot in the 1st. Punto smacked a double to right that brought Ciriaco home from first (which should have been a triple, but Jones misplayed the ball). The final run coming on a wild pitch that brought Podsednik home. Gonzalez (2 hits) and Ciriaco (4-4) were the only Sox batters with a multi-hit game. In addition to the RBI double (triple), Punto stole a base (as did Crawford and Ciriaco) and had a great game at 3rd as well.

On the negative side, Lavarnway went 0-4, bringing his average down to .107. Someone should probably tell him that he's supposed to be the future catcher of this franchise. And Ellsbury went 0-5, and wasn't able to bring Punto home from 3rd after his double (triple). Oh, and Cody Ross went 0-4 and struck out 4 times. Plus, Derek Lowe pitched and got the final out for the Yankees. So that happened.

But beating New York always puts an extra hop in my step, even if they're 12 games up in the standings.

08/16/2012

Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

Gonzalez wound up grounding to second, then was ejected by Everitt after saying the quick-pitch should have been ruled a ball. When Gonzalez’s plea fell upon deaf ears, the first baseman said, “Mikey, you stink,’’ which earned him his second career ejection.

“I wasn’t ready to hit,’’ Gonzalez said. “I wasn’t out of the batter’s box. When I come set up with the bat on my shoulder and the pitcher comes set, I kind of get into my position to hit and I was still in a position where I wasn’t ready to hit. My argument was that they called that same play a ball on Franklin [Morales] earlier in the year. He does the same thing and the umpire said it was a ball. It needs to be universal. It can’t be interpreted by each individual. That’s my argument.’’

Valentine came out of the dugout to take up Gonzalez’s argument, and wound up getting tossed as well. It was his fourth ejection of the season and 41st of his managerial career.

“Adrian thought maybe Mike should’ve called something and he didn’t call it,’’ Valentine said. “Adrian told him what he thought and I reiterated it.’’

You know it's getting bad when Adrian Gonzalez is using the S-word at umpires.

This team finds new ways to disappoint us every night, and last night was no different. The weird Crawford misplay, Gonzalez and Valentine getting tossed for pretty placid complaining, Cook falling apart -- it just goes on and on.

On the one hand I understand Gonzalez's frustration, but I also hate how long it takes players to be "ready to hit." Not specific to this situation, just generally -- there's no need to step out of the box after every pitch, adjust every piece of clothing on you, check out the ladies in the stands...every player thinks they're Nomar these days. Enough.

Maybe it's time to just bail on the Red Sox for the rest of the year anyway. That's what John Tomase thinks.

Of course, that's not how it works. We'll still watch, because that's how it works. But hopefully they don't continue down this spiral. The playoffs are basically out of the question at this point, but we can at least look for things to have some hope about for 2013.

Things like:

1. The continued improvement of Jon Lester

2. Healthy, consistent play from Carl Crawford

3. A September call-up of Jose Iglesias in which he dominates (#freejoseiglesias)

08/10/2012

Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

Gonzalez entered last night’s game against the Indians leading MLB in average (.409) and RBI (27) since the All-Star break. And after blasting a two-run homer in the fourth inning, he now has as many homers (six) in 25 games this half as he managed in 86 games during the first half.

“There’s a feeling I had in ’08 and ’09 that I didn’t have in 2010 and 2011 because I had a bad shoulder,” Gonzalez said. “So my swing went through a phase where I just did whatever I had to do to help the team. If that meant cutting my finish off, doing certain things, so be it.

“This year, coming into the season, I said, ‘I’m healthy, I can go back to it.’ And searching for that old swing, I found myself getting into some mechanical problems.”

Even after hitting homer No. 12 last night, Gonzalez accepts he probably won’t end the season with 30. He’d be happy with 20 if they’re accompanied by a high average and a ton of RBI.

The Red Sox are a world of negativity right now, so I thought it may be best to focus on one of the only good things going on at Fenway right now: the resurgence of Adrian Gonzalez.

And, like most things in baseball, it's all thanks to a slight mechanical tweak. Gonzalez's 'power stroke' was completely screwed up from compensating for his bad shoulder. But he kept trying to make it work. It wasn't. So he decided to scrap that swing and, well, the results speak for themselves. He's destroying the ball right now.

He's probably not going to put up the same numbers he put up last year -- even if he continues at this pace -- but that's OK. This season is the definition of "lost cause". What's important is that he has a swing he's comfortable with, and even more important, one that works.

That will allow him to fine-tune that swing this offseason. That will allow him to enter next year without the burden of trying to figure it out. That will allow him to be the Adrian Gonzalez we traded for. Whatever the roster looks like in 2013, we should have at least have one All-Star that we can depend on. That's a start.

Last time

The Sox last played the Twins back in May. The Sox entered the series a miserable 12-18. Josh Beckett lost the opener to Derek Lowe, who's been so good this year that Cleveland designated him for assignment last week. The Sox regrouped and won the final three games of the series, topping Ubaldo Jimenez and Zach McAllister, both of whom are due to face Boston again in this series.

This time

Laser Show: Adrian Gonzalez

It's all Adrian all the time right now. He's riding a 1.300+ OPS for the month -- no reason to think it'll stop now. The Indians are tossing out one ineffective pitcher, two new guys, and one who's been OK. Adrian should feast on them.

Pitch Around: Asdrubal Cabrera

I choose Asdrubal not due to his success against the Sox this year (an OPS below .600), or a favorable home split (.779 OPS at home, .779 on the road), but because he has the best name in baseball.

Don't Fall Behind: Ubaldo Jimenez

Ubaldo hasn't been the same since coming over to Cleveland, but I'm going to take "don't fall behind" kind of literally. He's got talent, even if his fastball isn't what it once was. If he gets a little confidence going, he can still strike guys out. Best to get to him early and keep him on edge. The Sox should be able to wait him out as he has serious command issues.

How we see it goin' down

This is a .500 team heading into a four-game series. I see no reason to expect anything other than a 2-2 split.

After every series, we'll take stock of how each individual and group performance affects their overall value.

Lineup

Jacoby Ellsbury: Started hot with a three-hit game but didn't have any in the final two games. Ells is down to a .664 OPS on the year...not exactly MVP caliber like 2011.

Carl Crawford: Carl's rolling. A six-game hitting streak, extra-base hits, some speed, and even (a little) less flailing at sliders out of the zone. This is what we paid for.

Dustin Pedroia: It's been a disappointing year for Dustin, but might he be on the verge of a hot finish? Six hits including three doubles in the Rangers series, not to mention a stolen base. Keep it up Pedey.

Adrian Gonzalez: In August, Adrian is hitting .484/.543/.774/1.317. Hence, the big arrow. The lineup isn't to blame for how mediocre this team is. Adrian is back to MVP-level performance and is the guy we're building around. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Cody Ross: No complaints about Cody. Six more hits, including a homer in yesterday's disappointing loss. He was the best move Cherington made last offseason. I'm looking forward to some dumb team overpaying him this offseason.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia: More of the same from Salty -- a couple hits, but he's still a K machine. Will Ryan Lavarnway's presence light a fire under him?

Will Middlebrooks: Two dingers for Will, but perhaps more importantly (in the long term), two walks yesterday. Will's batting eye has been his downfall this year, with just 13 walks in 73 games (a .327 OBP compared to a .292 AVG). If he improves his eye, he's going to be a really good player.

Mike Aviles: Aviles isn't a bad player, but enough is enough with him at short. I know he just got back from an injury, but there's no reason for him to be there. Either keep up the good vibes with Pedro Ciriaco or #freejoseiglesias.

The Bench: Rough series for Shoppach, Ciriaco, and Kalish. I guess I could have been more generous; Will Middlebrooks' homer two days ago was of the pinch-hit variety, so I could have credited that to the bench.

Starting Pitching

A good start by Cook, but Beckett and Lester failed us again. It's no secret: They're what's wrong with this team's performance in 2012. I don't know if it's injuries, mentality, work ethic, or just an erosion of talent (and neither do you), but the Sox need to find a solution.

Bullpen

Five runs in 8.1 innings. I credit Mortensen for bailing out Beckett (even though he got the loss), but nonetheless the performance wasn't there overall.

Managing

I just don't care about Bobby V. that much. He does some things right, some things wrong (like all managers), but the problems with this team aren't his fault and the successes aren't his credit. He's not the solution; the whole management team needs to be reworked.

Overall

It's hard to feel good about this team right now. They're not a playoff team, I don't care what Bobby V. tells you. It's nice to see the heart of the order (and the big-money guys) tearing the cover off the ball, but as long as Franklin Morales is their best starter, the Red Sox are going nowhere.

07/19/2012

Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

It started modestly with a few 1-for-4 games that featured a single a night in late June. But the drumbeat soon picked up, a 2-for-5, a 2-for-3, a 2-for-4, a 2-for-5.

Game after game, the hits have been coming for Adrian Gonzalez He entered the All-Star Break having hit in 18 of his last 19 contests, the only exception being an 0-for-1 night in the last game of the first half when he had to leave after one plate appearance due to illness.

But now, since his return after a slightly lengthened break (back spasms kept him out of the first two games of the second half), the first baseman has taken his performance to another level. Though Cody Ross delivered the biggest blows in the Red Sox' 10-1 victory over the White Sox, the most significant performance of the night may well have belonged to Gonzalez.

Gonzalez went 3-for-4, putting the Sox on the board after the White Sox scored in the top of the first with a game-tying RBI single to right in the bottom of the inning, wrapping up the Sox’ scoring with a two-run single to right in the sixth and, most significantly, blasting a home run over the Monster to left-center in the bottom of the fourth.

Welcome back Adrian! It's great to see you return as the hitting machine that you are!

He's hit in 22 out of his last 23 games, has had multi hit games in 8 out of his last 13 and is hitting .404 since going back to playing first base full time, and because of it his batting average for the season has gone up 39 points since then. (.257 in June 19, .296 after last night's game). The two homers in three games is also an added bonus at this point. As long as he's able to hit and drive in runs, that's all that matters.

With Gonzalez hitting anything in sight again, it makes losing David Ortiz an easier pill to swallow. It also doesn't hurt that the two speed demons, Ellsbury & Crawford, are getting on base and making life hell for opposing pitchers.

It took a season and a half but we're finally seeing how scary good the offense could be with those two at the top of the order and then have Adrian or David Ortiz or even Cody Ross drive them in. It's nice to see everyone get hot and for Adrian's sake, it gets fans off of his back for a little bit.

07/17/2012

Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

Homerless in 63 at-bats dating back to June 24, Gonzalez came to the plate in the bottom of the eighth inning of last night’s game against the Chicago White Sox with two runners on and the score tied.

With one sweet swing, Gonzalez ended his power outage and propelled the Red Sox[team stats] to their third win in four games since the All-Star break. Gonzalez’ blast off of Chicago reliever Leyson Septimo landed in the front row of the Monster seats. The Sox added another run to pull out a 5-1 win in front of a season-high 38,334 fans at Fenway Park [map].

“It feels great to win the game,” Gonzalez said. “I’m not really worried about home runs or any of that stuff. I’m just trying to have good at-bats.”

It's been a rough year for Adrian, but he came through in a big way last night.

There's no reason to give up on the guy -- he's still a great hitter. He's just been playing badly. His swing has not looked right all year. To my amateur eye, it seems that his bat speed is down. Even last night, he was fouling off fastballs, just a split second late. The homer came off a hanging slider, and he took advantage of that natural inside-out swing we hear so much about.

It was so nice to see the team perform the way you expect a good team to perform. Solid pitching, then clutch hitting late. Eighth inning, nobody was pressing, Carl Crawford and David Ortiz knew what was important was to get on base, and Adrian knew it was time to bring them home.

One last thought about Adrian. Everyone seems to get down on him not being a clutch player, mostly (I think) because he shows no emotion so everyone forgets when he's good. The stats say otherwise. Even this year, when he's been lousy, his OPS is markedly better in high-leverage situations and than in medium- or low-leverage ones. He also has a .957 OPS with RISP and 2 outs.

On page 2, we check up on Papi's odd heel injury suffered while rounding second base on the homer.

This sucks. I know that Gonzo has not been producing to his potential, but when he is scratched and replaced by Brett Lillibridge, it is awful.

I don't fault him for going to the Cape and vegging, or making his presidential campaign look good by kneeling down and greeting a child. I'll even let the free International Pizza shout-out slide, but it raises a question...why was he getting coffee from a pizza place? Adrian, you make $423K per week, go to Starbucks.

07/08/2012

Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

Numbers like 50, 55, 66 and 77. Spring training numbers in July. The kind of numbers that when in a starting lineup at this time of the year spell forced surrender when matched up with the one the New York Yankees had hanging on their clubhouse wall.

With little other choice available due to the growing parade of infirm Red Sox, manager Bobby Valentine sent out four offensive linemen and a fullback to tackle the Yankees in the first game of a day-night doubleheader. Predictably, the Sox lost by a field goal and a safety, 6-1.

Baseball is a game obsessed by numbers. It is driven by numbers, defined by numbers. Numbers give the game a certainty other games do not possess, the belief being that a player who has put up numbers for a number of years will eventually do so again unless his number is up.

[...]

Yesterday afternoon’s lineup was one that should have been used in Fort Myers in March not Boston in July, a lineup that included Daniel Nava (66) in left field, Mauro Gomez (50) at third base, Pedro Ciriaco (77) at second and Ryan Kalish (55) in center. These were not your father’s Red Sox. These were Pinky Higgins’ Red Sox.

We are pretty much watching the Pawsox play the Yankees in this series. With injuries plaguing this team and set-backs in rehab stints, the Red Sox don't have much of a choice but to keep dipping into the Pawsox roster. That's what they are there for. The problem is, these guys have become more likable and productive than the Sox' regulars.

Ciriaco and Gomez will likely be back in Pawtucket before you know it. Their production will also be short-lived, but for now, they are flying high and winning their place in the hearts of fans.

We will likely see most of these guys in the lineup tonight and then some will make the 45 minute drive back to Pawtucket after the All-Star break. Ellsbury is making his way back and will soon return to the lineup. Who knows about Carl Crawford, and Middlebrooks could be in the lineup at any time.

This is just a very quick flash of brilliance for the "replacements" and you can't fall in love with these guys too quickly. The Red Sox have a $173 million reason why you shouldn't.

06/27/2012

The Sox concluded their homestand with a 10-4 win over Toronto this afternoon.

Jon Lester pitched adequately, yielding four runs over seven innings. He struck out just four, but didn't walk anybody. It at least beat the day Ricky Romero had. The Jays starter walked six and gave up seven hits over three innings. The Red Sox were up 10-1 after the 4th and never looked back.

I didn't watch the game, but the big standout of the box score is the difference in walks. The Blue Jays didn't walk all game; the Sox had seven reach base that way. Someone call Michael Lewis and tell him Moneyball is still working!*

Adrian Gonzalez continues to hit well. He drove in three runs out of the 5-hole, and is 12 for his last 36 at bats. Hopefully he can carry the good vibes out to Seattle, where the Sox kick off a seven-game West Coast road trip against the Mariners and Athletics. If they can perform well out there -- say, 5-2 -- they return to Fenway for a pre-All Star Break four-game series with the Yankees. It could be a good barometer of the team's potential to make a run.